BATTLE HYMN
by T H E O V E R L O R D
Summary: As the invasion of Dalmasca spreads deeper Ashe and the group set out on a journey to destroy the enemy but find themselves in more peril than ever before.
1. Chapter I

Since the return of Princess Ashe to the throne of Dalmasca a new threat to the kingdom has risen from the continent to the east, Ubadia. The forces of the Empire known as Hesla have reached their military reach to Dalmasca and threaten the end of Queen Ashe's reign. Now, the country is once again struggling through war and the end is appearing ever closer...

(Giza plains - 7 years after the first war)

Barder Graham peered over the edge of a flat, gray rock set atop a a dusty slope. From his vantage point he looked down upon an enemy encampment. Men in gold and white armour, armed with swords, spears, bows, guns and all manner of sadistic weaponry paced back and forth unaware that exactly two hundred-thirty two Dalmascan soldiers were watching them from the surrounding hills. Unlike, the Heslen soldiers the Dalmascans who were poised to attack had little metal on there armor and although this meant that there was less in between the blade of a sword and there soft, tender flesh they had better mobility and in sunny climates like the Giza plains where 298 days of the year were sunny with no rain there was no chance of the suns bright rays reflecting off the metal and giving away the position of a soldier trying to keep his concealment. Unfortunately, in this battle however stealth would only be a factor for so long, once the assault started the element of surprise would replaced it and victory would depend on it. A risky plan in Barder's mind but this was no real change in the battle plans Colonel Baltar had been coming up with.

Barder looked back at his fellow Dalmascan soldiers armed with swords and spears at the bottom of the slope waiting for the order to rush up then down the slope and then he looked to his left and right at the sharpshooters who were to give covering fire. Carefully Barder steadied his rifle and took aim at one of the soldiers in the middle of the camp. One of the things the Barder relished about being a sharpshooter was the fact he had absolute control over his targets life and if he did his job right he could get it done with no risks to his own life. And it was a hell of a lot cleaner than being a swordsman.

"The attack begins in one minute..." Whispered the sharpshooter to Barder's right "...pass it on."

Barder did just that and once more took aim. The target stood in position taking in another soldiers his guard down to zero and back facing Barder. It might not be the most honorable way of fighting but it was the most advantageous.

The Heslen soldier laughed and clutched his stomach as he laughed at his friends apparently hysterical joke. But as he he laughed he turned around and as he started to calm down he looked up at Barder's position and as his eyes widened with fear Barder immediately took the shot. A loud bang ran out through the whole area and the Heslen soldiers dropped to the ground with a bloody whole in his neck where Barder's shot had made contact. Several seconds passed as the echo from the shot faded and then like a thunderstorm all hell was let loose.

The Dalmascan sharpshooters all began firing their rifles and Heslen soldiers dropped to the ground in bloody heaps as they desperately began to form a hasty resistance.

"CHARGE!" Yelled the commander in charge of the assault, a tall, bland colonel named Aras Baltar.

Following the the command a ear shattering cry from ever Dalmascan soldier ran out as they began there charge with Baltar in the lead with his sword glittering in the sun as he held it high a monument to Dalmascan bravery. He had been a key player in the uprising against the Archadian empire and a great leader in the war leading up to that. However, to Barder this seemed like a very impractical and potentially fatal move since every single Heslen soldier would be able to see her which made her an obvious target, that and Barder found little use in such displays of leadership due to there chances of ending in bloodshed.

"Move it!"

Barder felt someone tug on the back of his uniform as the swordsmen ran over the edge of the slope and down the will. Hesitantly Barder stood up and began to move with them. This wasn't right. Why was he in the middle of the main charge? Quickly he looked back at his fellow sharpshooters and saw that they had not moved.

"_Damn it!_" He though as he too moved over the edge of the slope and down the hill. There was no turning back now.

Clouds of dust were kicked up as the Dalmascans charged and more gunshots sounded. But these were not the sounds of Dalmascan guns. They came from the rifles of the Heslen who had formed lines of shooters who fired franticly at the oncoming Dalmascans.

Throughout the wave of Dalmascan soldiers men small groups dropped as the small round projectiles pierced through their armor and divots in the dirt picked at the dust. However, this was not enough to halt the charge.

Like a tidal wave the Dalmascans swept into the camp and the Heslen shooters began to fall back but they were not fast enough to escape the swords of their attackers. But as these men were cut down the Heslen swords men took there places and ran to meet the Dalmascans. With a powerful clash both sides collided in a flurry of a deadly arms. Shields were shatters and and swords waved back and forth cutting down men like wheat. Barder's eyes were wide with horror as he was thrust into the fray. He fired his rifle and took down one soldier and then with his bayonet he drove a hole in the stomach of another. Two down 300 more to go.

But as Barder looked around things didn't look so good. All around him lay dead Dalmascans lay still on the dusty ground and for every dead Heslen two more seemed to pop up.

Something then hit Barder hard in the back and he went crashing down onto the dirt. With all his muscles aching Barder forced himself onto his back and the last thing he saw was the hammer of a Heslen Seeq come down on his face.

F I N A L F A N T A S Y

_**BATTLE HYMN**_

_C H A P T E R I_

(Castle of Rabanastre)

"198 soldiers dead..." General Basch said wearily "In a foolish raid that shouldn't have happened. How could he have underestimated the enemy strength by such a wide margin?"

Basch had come back to Ashe only a few months ago after the Archadian empire had refused to enter into this war, after Larsa had made the decision to watch his own borders and stay neutral on the idea that if Archadia was to join this war it would stir up a quagmire of economical and political stress.

"It is unfortunate yes that he was not able to see past his own visions of glory but he didn't and there is nothing we can do about it." Lady Ashe replied, doubling the amount of frustration and anger that was in her voice from that of Basch's.

The two stood in the meeting room of the castle of Rabanastre and had been there for two hours discussing the every pressing war. As many had done in this room before them. But for Ashe this room was more than a place to discuss plans for war and political issues. To her this was a place that filled acute mind with memories of Rossler. This was the room where her husbands fate had been decided. To Ashe this had been where he had died He had made a mistake and it had cost him his life. And every time Ashe walked into this room couldn't help thinking about him, when they first met, their first kiss, their wedding and she had always wondered what his last thoughts had been, had he been thinking of her?

"Every day our ranks grow thinner and it is because we have not made any decisive blows. We need to find a limb of the enemy he can not live without and eliminate it."

"You were there when my husband died, right?" Ashe asked in almost a whisper.

Basch looked at her completely taken aback by the question.

"Well, yes. Why do you ask?"

"what do you think he was thinking just before he died?"

"Honestly your highness, he died in a moment of battle, of great excitement, confusion and horror. And when the arrow struck him he did not die instantly..." Ashe put her hand to her heart and Basch could see that these words had stung deep, but he was not done "And I'm sure that in those few moments every part of his mind was on you. He did love you immensely and if he was alive today..."

"Stop!"

Basch stopped speaking and held his tounge. "I'm sorry."

Ashe didn't reply to this but continued with the matter at hand.

"We have not but a few thousand at our disposal while the Hesla empire has a seemingly unlimited supply of military arms and machines. How are we to combat the armies of Hesla when we can barely match a quarter of their strength? We need a strategy... something to at least by us some time."

"Time for what?"  
Ashe paused for a few moments and then said "We need more allies."  
"But who?" Basch said with a sigh "The Seeqs won't join us only a few hundred Viera have come to our aid but the rest still cling to the trees. Ha and don't even get me started on the moogles."

Ashe paced across the room her gold and silver dress sweeping just above the ground her arms crossed and her brow narrowed as she pondered her idea.

"Maybe we don't need an army..." Ashe said facing the wall and away from Basch.

Basch looked at her with a perplexed look on his face.

She spun around quickly to face the general "Maybe we can come up with a way for a small group to..."

"To what?" "I don't know... not yet."

Ashe then swiftly with a aura of excitement around her began and quick march towards the oak doors of the meeting room.

"Lady Ashe!" Basch called after her but she did not heed him not because she was angry with him but because she had an idea a plan that could end the war or at least even the scales.

Forcefully she burst through the doors making a nearby Paige jump and almost drop the documents he was carrying and began to move briskly though a hall filled with busts and painting of the kings and queens of old.

"You." She said boldly to the jittery Paige "I need you to find these people for me..."

Like a light from heaven the fiery sun shone down upon Rabanastre and its people displaying the city in all its wonder and glory. The people blissfully unaware of their impending doom that hung over there heads. But Vaan knew. Unlike many of Rabanastres people he had seen combat, he had fought all manner of beasts and soldiers and joining the Dalmascan army hadn't hurt either. Since his joining he had been almost instantly promoted to the rank of captain and versed in various strategies and tactics but most of it to Vaan had been obsolete. He knew how to fight and even use magic, and as for working as a team, that was something he had even more experience in.

Unfortunately though since the groups departing they had grown apart. For a short time Vaan and Penelo had spent some time as sky pirates with Bathier and Fran but after an unexpected "situation" they to had to depart and now Vaan and Penelo were back in Rabanastre Vaan in the army and Penelo... somewhere. Vaan hadn't seen Penelo in over a month since he joined the army and she went on a journey to find some old medicine man who could apparently contact the dead. Another thing that had changed since the journey. She seemed to miss her parents even more and it had really thrown her into a deep depression. And Vaan missed, more than he was willing to admit, slot more.

"Hey Vaan get over here."

Vaan opened his eyes to the image of a blue sky and a flock of birds flying high where he was once meant to be, but not anymore.

Quickly Vaan raised himself off the ground and looked for the voice and looked around for the speaker. A young man not much older than Vaan was calling him over and waving to him. Vaan gave a quick wave back and jogged over to him. Both were clad in traditional Dalmascan armor that gave maximum protection.

"Somebody must really like you." The young soldier said as Vaan drew closer.

"What are you talking about?"

"Queen Ashe would like to see you."

"What!?" Vaan repplied. He hadn't seen Queen Ashe in person in who knows how long.

"She's waiting better come with me."


	2. Chapter II

_CHAPTER II_

(Five years earlier – Westersands)

Fierce winds blew across the sandy plains of the Westersands, whipping the faces of Vaan, Ashe, Penelo, Bathier Fran and Basch. Ashe struggled to keep her eyes open by shading them with her arm but to little avail. Still, the party slugged its way through the deep churning sands.

"Lady Ashe!" Basch yelled over the howle of the winds "We need to find shelter if we are make across with our lives!"

Ashe stopped and cursed quietly to herself, Every time they stopped she felt helpless. She felt like if they didn't keep movng the time they had would slip away and she would fail, not onlt the kingdom of Dalmasca but Herself and Rasler. She had fought monsters and the best soldiers the Archadian empire had to offer, she wasn't going to let some sand kill her.

"I think I saw some shelter back the way we came!" Vann suggested.

As quickly as they could the party began to retrace their steps but what marks they had made were quickly hidden by more sand. But soon they found a cave hidden underneath plateau. With Bathier in the lead the party stepped into the cave cautious for any unwanted visitors. With his rifle raised and ready to fire Bathier moved into the cave and stopped at about 13 meters. Although eh cave went deeper into the rock he didn't dare go down there for what may be lurking in the shadows.

"We'll rest here and wait until the storm dies down." He said.

Ashe tiredly sat down against the wall of the cave and took a deep breath in then out.

"How are you holding up?" Vaan asked kindly.

Ashe looked up at him from where she sat and took a second to look him over. He was young, maybe too young to be on such a journey she thought. He may have the will but when they reach the end and fight the inevitable fight against Lord Vayne will he have what it takes?

"Fine think you." She replied and looked out at the cave entrance.

Persistence to start a conversation Vaan sat next to her on the side facing the end of the cave. But he soon found that he had nothing to say.

Quietly trying to think of something to talk about in his mind Vaan looked around at the ceiling, the floor anything but Ashe.

"How old are you?" Ashe asked now looking at Vaan.

"Seven-teen" he replied "I'll be eight-in another couple of months."

"Have you ever been in a situation like this before?"

"No the closest I've ever come to fighting monsters before this was killing rats in the waterway of Rabanastre."

Ashe nodded in understanding.

"My brother Reks was killed in the war." Vaan added sensing Ashe's doubt in him "if I don't do this then I'll never be able to live with myself. Vayne started his and now I'm going to end it and avenge my brother."

Ashe looked at him with a new understanding. He may be young and inexperienced but he was going to do this and from that moment on she wouldn't have had it any other way.

"You'll be fine. And you will avenge you brothers death."

Vaan smiled at her and Ashe smiled back.

Fran walked slowly into the darkness of the cave her ears stiff as she listened.

"What do you hear?" Bathier asked her.

"I don't know." She turned and looked back at him "But we're not alone."

Bathier tuned and went to Basch. "We can't stay here somethings coming."

"What?" Basch asked anxiously.

"I don't know."

Upon hearing this Ashe stood up and moved towards Bathier and Basch. "What is it?" She asked.

"Somethings in here with us but we don't know what." Bathier explained.

"Lady Ashe we should find another spot to rest..." He fell silent as a creepy slithering sound rattled through the ceiling of the cave and everyone looked up with fear.

"I think we should get going." Penelo said slowly stepping back towards the entrance.

"She's right let get moving." But it was to late.

As the party turned around to leave something exploded out the ceiling sending rocks and debris smashing to the ground. And out from the dust sprung a serpent like creature bearing its fangs and hissing loudly. Almost instantly when it landed it lunged at Vaan and he just barely dodged its sharp fangs with a jump and roll. Ashe drew her sword and held it ready to strike until she heard another hiss from behind. Quickly she pun around to face her attacker and was greeted with another set fangs that sprung at her giving her only just enough time to hit he serpents teeth with her sword and send it reeling back in pain. But as quickly as it had reeled back it again lunged at her. This time the Ashe was able to roll roll to the right and bring her sword down on the creatures body. The monster let out a screaming hiss of pain and Ashe smirked confidently. But she soon realized that her sword had barley broken the creatures tough hide. Ashe;s smirk then faded as the serpent turned its cobra like head and looked at her with bits piercing red eyes. But before it could attack one of Fran's arrows found its mark in the back of its head and the creature turned to face her instead.

Without any hesitation Ashe lunged at the creature with her sword and swung for its head. This time the sword slashed open a wide gash in the creatures neck and again it let out a high pitched scream that threatened to blow Ashe's ear drums out. But she ignored the pain and once more swung at the monsters neck this time completely disconnecting the serpents head from its body. As the body of the serpent wriggled and twisted on the ground Ash looked to the others.

The first serpent lay dead on the ground as they stood over it so she looked back at the discombobulated serpent she had killed, it had stopped moving and now like the other it lay still in a pool of its own blood.

"Are you alright?" Basch asked.

Ashe swallowed and then nodded "Yes, yes I'm fine."

"We should leave this place." Fran said with another arrow fixed into her bow.

Ashe nodded in agreement and looked back at the corpse. Something lay in the serpents blood it was small and hard to see but it was there. Ashe bent down and picked the small object up. It was a small stone, colored white and was almost transparent.

"Lady Ashe we must make haste." Basch said anxiously.

Ashe quickly stashed the small stone, picked up her sword and together the party exited the cave and went back out into the raging sand storm.

It had been a long time since Vaan had been in the castle of Rabanastre. The great halls of the magnificent fortress and arching ceiling imposed a great feeling of smallness and all the paintings and busts of fallen royalty seemed gave a sense of awe of the history that was forever burend into the foundations of the castle. Vaan looked from side to side at the two palace guards who escorted him through these great halls towards the Queen's throne room, the same room in which King Raminas had been assassinated and where his brother Reks had been murdered by Gabranth. Both the guard who walked on Vaan's left walked next to him stared blankly down the hall his face pale from dats and months of combat, obviously war was not what he had expected it to be. As the three rounded a corner Vaan was greeted by a familiar face.

"I'll escort him from here." Said Basch without a trace of emotion on his face the scar on his left brow still clearly visible. "Come with me Vaan."

The two guards turned and left and Vaan continued on with Basch. For a little while they walked in silence until Vaan spoke.

"How have you been?" Vaan asked.

"Busy. This war has taken its toll on Dalmasca and Queen Ashe and I have found myself busied making up for the mistakes of others." He replied with a heavy voice.

Vaan knew what he was talking about. He himself had on;y just narrowly escaped taking part in the raid by claiming that he was sick and unfit for combat. Luckily since the raid was organized in secret from Basch and the Queen there had been no deep inquiry to find out if this was indeed the truth. And since this raid had not been approved by any of the higher-ups he had not found himself in any trouble.

The rest of the walk was in silence as both had grown apart from the already tenuous fellowship they had developed on there journey five years ago. During that time Vaan had for a very long time doubted Basch's claim that he had not killed his brother and by the time he had become convinced there was little time to develop a long lasting friendship. However, both felt a strong sense of respect for the other.

But soon they reached the throne room. As Basch opened the doors to the room Vaan could see guards lined along the sides of the the room all armed with swords securely sheathed and worn at the waist. From the ceiling hung golden chandeliers that formed a straight row to the end of the throne room and on the floor was a purple carpet embroidered along the edges with gold colored thread that reached to the foot of the Queen's throne and in that throne was Queen Ashe of the Dalmasca.

Her throne was all that could be expected. The back was tall and the top was crowned with the Dalascan national symbol, a circle with a shard spear-head like pint on each side with what looked like dragon wings at each corner. It as well as the base of the chair had been cushioned with red velvet that couldn't be found in any bazaar or any common store. But aide form the beauty of the throne Vaan saw something else. He saw a place of death, the very spot where king Raminas had been murdered and in the very spot where he was standing his brother had also been murdered.

But he put all that to the back of his mind as the queen stood up. She wore a white dress with gold lining its borders and tracing patterns onto the main form. She looked positively beautiful, everything you would expect from a queen.

"Vaan." She said with a certain amount of relief in her voice. "I thank you for coming."

Although he felt that he hadn't really had much of a choice he still felt welcome by the thought.

"Thank you your highness." He replied with a courteous bow.

Ashe then looked at the two rows of guards guards and kindly ordered them to leave the room. With absolute obedience to their queen they filled out in an orderly fashion the last one closing the doors behind them.

"Unfortunately Vaan I do not call you here under the most favored of circumstances. I have a proposition for you."

Vaan looked at her with curiosity ash stepped down from the throne and moved towards a window from which beams of light shone in and highlighted the floor under the window.

As she looked out upon the city she continued.

" Back when we set out to free Dalmasca when we were in a cave in the Westersands I found a small stone that I have kept with me since our journey. As it turns out the stone is actually a form of nethicite. However, it is no ordinary nethicite. I have had research done on it and I have found that it is a new type more powerful than anything anyone has ever seen. With it I think we can end this war and save Dalmasca."

"How?" Vaan asked.

Ashe turned from the window and for a moment looked at Vaan. He had grown older and and looked much more defined but to her he was still the same seven-teen year old who had embarked on the journey to free Dalmasca five years ago.

"Deep in Nalbina there is a place where we can use this nethicite to bring about about an Esper of such great power that by itself it could very well defeat the armies of Hesla and win this war for us." Ashe paused and sighed "We have talked with the Heslens and it has got us no where. If we don't do this Dalmasca shall fall and after it Nalbina and then Rozarria and then even Archadia."

"How do we get there?"

"We must first sneak through the Eastersands..." Basch began "Then go around the Nalbina fortress as it has been taken over by Hesla, then through the Mosphoran Highwaste after which we will meet a platoon of Nalbina soldiers and go around the Salikawood by chocabo and then continue on to the temple and retrieve the esper."

"Sounds simple enough." and then Vaan remembered "If we're going through the Eastersands we can go see Penelo and she can come with us too."

Ashe nodded "Alright then we will find Penelo."

"Where is she?" Basch asked.

"In a village not to far in, she went to see some sort of medicine man who can apparently talk to the dead so she could talk to her parents."

"What of Bathier and Fran? Where have they gone to?"

Vaan looked down at the floor and replied "I don't know The last time I saw them was over the Ogir-Yensa Sand sea and that was years ago."

"Well we will have to do without them on this journey." Ashe said just as the doors to the throne room opened and a man stepped in.

He was tall and skinny with long, black and he wore an expensive suit that made him look bigger than he was.

"Your highness, you wanted to see me?" He said with a bow.

"Yes Duke Bhirming. Vaan, we will discuss this later but for the moment I must attend to other matters. Basch please show him room and feel free to make your self at home."  
Ashe smiled at him, turned and sat back in her throne.

'Let's go Vaan." Basch said as he put his hand on Vaan's shoulder and guided him towards the doors. As they walked to the entrance Vaan passed Duke Bhirming and as they passed Vaan felt something stir in his gut, something about this Duke didn't sit right with him but he hardly knew the man and upon that he felt no reason bear any harsh feelings towards him. And with that Basch and Vaan exited the room the doors closing behind them.


	3. Chapter III

_CHAPTER III_

Vaan's eyes fluttered open and he was greeted with a view of the ceiling. He lay in his bed in his chamber in the castle. All night he had been up thinking about the up coming journey, a quest even, that was ever present. Vaan looked out the window to his left, the sun had already arced up into the sky and was beaming down on the land. Vaan shifted himself out of bed and got ready. He dressed in in his regular street cloths that head worn during the journey to renew Dalmasca. Quickly he did this, made the luxurious bed he had just slept in and headed out of the room. As he closed the doors behind him though he realized, he had no idea where he was to go. This was the first time he had actually been in this section of the castle and every hall looked exactly the same to him.

"So your finally awake." Came a voice to Vaan's left. "You snore pretty loudly too, shook the hole castle."

Vaan looked to where the voice had come from and sure enough standing there with his arms crossed was Balthier. Vaan couldn't believe his eyes.

"I thought you.."

"Died in the crash, no. Spent a week crawling across sand dunes with a broken leg and arm but eventually I was able to find a nice village to recuperate in."

"What about Fran?"

Balthier hesitated and looked down at the spotless floor "She went back to the Viera."

Both Vaan and Balthier fell itno a momentary silence before Balthier continued.

"Come on lets go get something to eat."

Basch walked into the combat practice room with one thought on his mind, win. As he stepped into the large circle of combat he fiercely whipped out his sword and stopped. There standing on the other side of the circle was Queen Ashe. Ready in he traveling outfit she too had her sword drawn and held at her side so the point faced the ground.

Neither said a word and those who stood on the outer reaches of the circle held their breaths in anticipation. Vaan sat in the bandstands along with Balthier both devouring food that they had taken from the kitchens, with permision of course.

"I wonder why she's fighting Basch?" Vaan said to himself quietly.

"Who else would she fight." Balthier replied rhetorically. "She knows Basch, she has fought with him before... a perfect pair."

Ashe looked deep into Basch's eyes he did to hers. She back down at any second now, no one was forcing her to do this, but she wanted to. She could feel the excitement in herself rise up into her chest, her breathing became hard as her heart started to beat faster.

Suddenly as if they could read each others minds both the Queen and the General sprung form their positions and lunged at each other swords in hand. Within microseconds they were both in the middle of the circle. Ashe brought her sword over her left shoulder and swung. Basch did the same from the right. Both swords clashed spitting silver sparks. For a spit second both the opponents held their swords together and in that split second Ashe smirked at Basch jjust before she pulled back her blade and swung again. Basch parried the blow and made his own attack. Ashe ducked underneath the sword stepped around Basch and attacked his back. Quickly he parried and countered clashing with Ashe's sword. They broke off from each other and began to pace around the circle staring each other down. Again they clased this time Basch hit her with a series of strong blows, Ashe continued to parry but was only just barely keeping up with Basch's blows. Aside form that she had unconsciously started falling back to the edge of the ring. If she stepped outside this circle she would be instantly disqualified. She needed a plan and she needed it now. Quickly in her mind she hastily began to ponder as many ways to escape as she could and within moments she had conjured up a plan of attack. As her feat came within a few foot falls of the circles edge she waited for Basch's next blow. As it came in from the right everything seemed to go into slow motion. She twisted her wrists so that the blade pointed down and as Basch's sword came in she lifted her blade, hit his, and swung it in an arc forcing his blade down. Then, when his blade was momentarily to the side and she punched him in the nose. Basch reeled back with his left hand over his nose completely unprepared and taken aback by the unexpected move. Ashe now had the advantage. As Basch stepped back she ran up, jumped, with her hole body in the air, and with both legs she hit Basch squarely in the chest.

The general fell back hard to the ground, his sword clanging on the ground. As Ashe made contact with the ground she instantly rolled and brought her self up to a crouched position. Basch hadn't even made contact with the ground when Ashe jolted forward with her sword.

Basch hit the ground hard and felt the his brain rattle inside his skull as his head hit the ground. With the palms of his hands facing the ground he tried to push himself up but it was to late. Before he could get up he found the point of Ashe's blade inches from his jugular. It was over, Ashe had won. As Ashe and Basch stared each other down clapping began to emanate from within the crowd.

Ashe glanced over at them and then stood up, offering Basch her assistance with an outstretched hand. He took it pulled, himself up and th two began to walk out of the room. She gave Vaan a nod so he knew to meet her in the operations room.

"How's your nose?" Ashe asked with a smirk as the walked through the doorway.

Basch wiped away some blood from his nose and replied "Hurts. Not exactly the most honorable way to fight." His voice now had a nasal quality to it which made Ashe smile a little.

"Alls fair in love and war."

Basch sighed, she was good in combat and even better when it came it an argument. Minutes later they cam to the operations room. Vaan and Balthier came in soon after them.

"You did really well there." Vaan said to Ashe.

Basch sighed as he wiped some more blood from his nose and Vaan felt a slight wave of sympathy for the man but couldn't help but fined a slight bit of amusement in Basch's rather comical state.

"So I suppose there is no point in going over the plan since we all already know it." Ashe began.

"Still though it would be a wise idea to go over it once more anyways wouldn't it Basch."

Basch merely looked over to Balthier with a look of utter annoyance, his nose aimed up and pinching the bridge of his nose to help keep the blood from rushing down his face.

Ashe knew that this suggestion was wasn't real so she continued.

"We will leave the city through the Garasmyth waterway so as not to attract any attention. We do not want the enemy to gain knowledge of our plan. If they do it could mean the end."

"They all fell silent for moment, appreciating the seriousness of the situation, then Ashe continued.

"From there we will exit to the Eastersands and then we must slip by a Heslen garrison that has taken a position there."

"Well then, the four of us against an army of Heslen soldiers, the inevitable hordes of monsters and unimaginable beasts. Sounds fun."

"We should be going, the more time we waist here the less time we have to retrieve the Eseper."

"Vaan and Balthier will accompany me to the armory and Basch go see Doctor Karr and meet us as soon as you can."

As Ashe and Vaan left the room Balthier walked pat Basch and said "Get better soon.""So who's going to be in charge when when you leave?" Vaan asked Ashe as they walked towards the armory.

"Duke Bhirming will act as ruler in my stead. I have instructed him to tell the people that I am ill and temporarily cannot perform my duties.

The trio reached the curved doors of the number two elevator system within the castle. Ashe pushed the down button and waited for the elevator.

"So, whats the story with this Bhirming guy?" Vaan asked again.

"He has served my family for three decades and has my full trust. I can think of few people who are equal or better than him in this respect."

_Ding_

The sound of a bell rang from the small speakers above the doorway and the elevator doors slid open with a smooth hiss. In an orderly fashion the three of them entered the empty elevator. With yet another smooth hiss the elevators closed again and the it began to drop down and soon enough it reached the bottom floor. The door sslid open and Vaan, Ashe and Balthier exited into the armory.

Vaan gaped at the mass amounts of weapons that were displayed all along the walls of the large room. Axes, swords, guns,bows and much much more.

Vaan walked over to a rack of swords with eye on one that was fitted squarely in the middle held in place by two wooden stubs on either side of the blade. He grabbed the hilt of the sword, pulled it out and examined the blade. The blade was coloured a dark gray, with silver traced edges and the handle was thin especially in the middle and coloured dark blue with gold on the very bottom. He looked over to Ashe who had taken a sparkling, elegant platinum sword. He then looked to Balthier who simply stood there paying no heed to armada of weapons that lay before him.

"Nothing that interests you?" Ashe said to him sarcastically.

"I prefer to stick with what I know." He replied as he pulled his altair out from behind his back.

The doors to the elevators opened again and Basch stepped in with a bandage on his nose, constantly sniffing. With a silent frustration at his current condition he to took a weapon, an axe and merely said "Lets go." And with that he left to the elevator.

The Garamsythe waterway was arguably the one of the most foulest places Ashe had ever been. The small could only be described as putrid and disease ridden rats crawled all over. Even worse monsters roamed the dark shadows of the water way. Vaan sneezed and Ashe instantly shushed him, that last thing she wanted was to let any monsters know that they were there.

Quietly and cautiously the group walked through the waterway. None of them had said anything in a very long time and Vaan wasn't sure how far they were.

"We're entering the bend now. Once we're through that we just have to got through basin number 7 and then we're out." Basch said in a whisper to Vaan.

The whole sewer was dark with no built in lights and very few ways for any natural light to get in. Anything could have been watching them at any moment.

The party entered basin number seven the whole room was basically one big bowel with a narrow walk way that stretched across the diameter of the basin. Inside it was filled with black, murky water that sat still and calm. The group stopped as they came to the narrow walk way.

"I'll go first." Ashe said as she began to step lightly onto the walkway.

"Best make as little sound as possible." said Balthier before just before Ashe started to cross "You never know what could lurking in the water."

As Ashe neared the quarter way mark Basch followed by Balthier and then Vaan.

Vaan looked looked down at the reflective surface completely unaware of what was looking back up at him. Ashe held her arms out to keep her balance as she wobbled slightly back and forth.

Something then churned in the water rippling it ever so slightly. Immediately Ashe looked at the sudden motion, that shouldn't have happened she though. She turned around to warn the others but before she could open her mouth large behemoth sized creature jumped out of the water and opened its massive jaws that were ridden with rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth. But just before it could swallow her whole Ashe jumped back and narrowly avoided being snatched by its jaws. She landed hard at Basch's feet as the monster fell back into the water smashing smashing the end of the walkway.

As Ashe started to lift herself up though the stone underneath her began to crack and within moments it broke and Ashe plunged into the water.

"Ashe!" Vaan yelled .

Everything was dark around her with the exception of a dozen beams of light that penetrated the waters surface. Ashe helled her breath as tight as she could as she began to swim up, several air bubbles escaping from her. But as she swam up the creature ominously emerged from the dark and again opened its mouth to swallow her.

Ashe couldn't believe the size of the thing. Its mouth could easily fit twenty people and its teeth were like swords. It looked like one massively huge shark with a trail of sharp spines that ran down its back. Her eyes wide Ashe's heart sunk as only the thought of death swam frantically in her mid. She was dead in the water directly in the path of the monsters open mouth.

Suddenly like a strike from god a bright light broke the surface of the water and struck the giant shark square in the top of the head sending reeling off course and letting out a pain filled roar as it diverted downwards. Ashe starred blankly at the monster as it swam under her on its way around so it could make another attack run, her life slowly slipping away as the air emptied out of her lungs. Her eyes slowly fluttered close.

Vaan plunged into the water hurriedly pushing himself towards Ashe who was slowly sinking towards the bottom completely immobile. But he reached her and took her in his right arm and started to paddle as fast as he could towards the surface and the edge of the basin. But the monster had completed its turn and was now heading for them once again. Vaan could hear the rushing of the water behind him it began closing in behind him. But he was almost there he just had to move a little faster. With the adrenaline pumping through his system every mussel in his body working at triple capacity and somehow by some miracle of nature he made it to the edge of the basin and lifted Ashe onto the the edge of the basin, lifted himself up and pulled Ashe farther to safety as the creature jetted its shark-like head out of the water.

"Race you to the other side!" Balthier yelled to Basch as he began to run. Within a few long strides Balthier reached the end of walkway, jumped onto the monster ran across its length and jumped to the other side, Basch did the same only just reaching the other side as the creature dove back under the water.

"Ashe can you hear me!?" Vaan yelled eagerly.

But she did not answer.

"Ashe!"  
Ashe coughed and slowly opened her eyes to the blurry view of Basch, Vaan and Balthier standing over her.

"Quickly we must go!" She said hurriedly "Somethings bound to have heard that."

With Vaan's assistance she got up and the party began to move as fast as they could through the water way.

"There!" Basch exclaimed pointing at a tunnel that lay ahead "If we can get through there then we can reach the Eastersands."

As the four struggled to the tunnel a shrill oolating war cry sounded through the tunnels. Vaan looked back at the roof of the waterway only see dozens of zombie warriors came charging at them, crawling along the ceilings and walls.

"RUN!" Vaan yelled.

Balthier fired his altair and pegged one of the zombies square in its rotten flesh covered head causing it to fall from the ceiling and into the basin to become a treat for the hungry creature.

Again Balthier fired but missed. They were only meters away from the entrance but the zombies had caught up with them. Basch spun around swiftly to meet them with his axe and slashed open the stomach of the first one sending it spinning to the ground. Balthier fired another shit and blew a hole straight the the neck of another.

"Come on!" Vaan yelled again and both Balthier and Basch continued to run.

As they reached the middle of the tunnel Balthier stopped and pulled something out of the leather pouch that hung at his thigh.

"What are you doing? we have to run." Basch yelled.

"Just closing the door behind us." Balthier said showing Basch his stick of explosives he held in his hand. Balthier looked at the zombies who had crowded themselves in the doorway and were struggling to get in as he struck a match on the tunnel wall, lit the fuse of the explosive and threw it at the disorganized zombies. Then as if the devil was at his heals he ran to catch up with the others who were already at the tunnel exit.

Ashe and Vaan both staggered out of the tunnel each supporting the other and collapsed into the sand of the Eastersand followed by Basch and then by Baltheir who jumped out of the exit as the explosives went off obliterating the zombies and causing the roof of the tunnel to collapse behind him, spewing a cloud of dust out the tunnel exit behind him.

"Well..." Balthier said as he picked himself up and brushed the dust and sand off his suit "That _was _fun."

Ashe breathed in and out deeply as she regained her breath.

"Are you alright?" Basch asked her with great concern.

"Ye... yes." She replied.

Shakily she stood up but fell back down as her legs were to tired to keep herself up.

"We should rest here a while and regain our strength. We're going to need it where we're going."

Ashe nodded in silent agreement and closed her eyes to sleep.


	4. Chapter IV

_CHAPTER IV_

Ashe opened her eyes and looked around. Thousands of stars now scatters the blanket of black that had spread across the sky and a soft, cool wind blew across the sandy plains, ever so gently spreading over her skin and blowing through her hair. Thin clouds of sand were lifted and carried across the sand until the wind that carried them broke or they collided with the tall pillars of eroded rock that honeycombed the the area.

To her left Vaan, Balthier and Basch sat around a yellow fire with gold ashes rising into the air amongst a tall tail of smoke that blended in with the sky just talking and Ashe listened.

"So how far is this village Penelo is supposedly in?" Asked Balthier.

"Its about eighty miles north of here. We should be able to reach it by tomorrow afternoon."

"Hmmm." Balthier said quietly to himself.

"What does that mean?"

"What is this village called?"

"El Gobale. Heard of it?"

Balthier fell silent for a moment and stared into the blazing fire.

"Yes... yes I have. Basch when I was 18 I traveled to this village for the same reason Penelo did. My father died when I was eight and I wanted to see if there was any way to "contact" him. So I went to this village and sure enough I... talked to something. But the whole town had a strange presence to it I could not place it but something wasn't right."

"Care to elaborate?" Basch said.

"The people showed no emotion no feeling, they just stared. And this medicine man that led them is a whole other story."

"So what happened in the town?" Vaan asked interestedly.

"I saw the medicine man, he did what he did what he does and that was the end of it. Now then, since the queen is awake..." Batlhier looked her straight in the eyes "We should be off. Best we move in the dark while our enemy has his guard down."

Balthier was the first to stand up, then Ashe who felt that now there was no reason to pretend that she was asleep and then Basch and Vaan. Quickly they then put the fire out and began to move through the dark of night. The whole night as they traveled all four of them were constantly slipping and sliding over the edges of the dunes several times Ashe hit her foot on hidden rocks that had been buried beneath the sand sending strong waves of pain surging through her foot and up her leg.

As the sun rose though everything became more clear and the cool wind began to disappear only to be replaced with the heat from the sun which began to rose over the tops of the pillars and burned bright and glaring into the eyes of all who looked towards it.

By noon the group were at the ¾ of the way there and again took another break on plateau that over looked the sand-sea. By now the sun was half way across the sky and and seemed stuck in place. At the tip of the plateau was a thin, pale tree with small white leaves that marked the frail, twig like branches.

Ashe stared at the tree at first for no particular reason but after a little while she couldn't take her eyes off it. Voices started echoing in her head, a rabble of diverse voices that grew louder and louder, not one of them seemed to make any sense. Then all of a sudden the tree burst into flames and a face appeared. A dark face with red and white face paint shaping horrid patterns across his face. Ashes eyes widened with horror as the face sat there staring at her with malevolent, piercing eyes. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest and her breathing became extremely heavy. Something wet started streaming down from her forehead and she soon realized that it was blood when a particular stream slid onto her lips and she tasted pure horror.

Then as if a Seeq champion fighter had just punched her in the face the face stretched open it mouth and let out a scream unlike any other blowing her hair back. Then it stopped. Her eardrums practically obliterated all she could hear was a hollow moan as the face whispered. _"I'm waiting Ashe... you will be mine." _ Then it disappeared leaving Ashe just sitting there with blood still streaming down her face.

"_Ashe! Ashe!" _Said a familiar voice form far away. Slowly her hearing started to come back, it sounded like a whistling teapot and rang through her head as a rush of sound came back to her all in one wave.

"Ashe!" Ashe heard a pop and then everything became clear again and she realized that voice belonged to Vaan.

"Ashe are you alright?"

Ashe blinked and the fire was gone, the face was gone and the voices stopped. Ashe felt her forehead for any traces of blood but found none.

She turned to Vaan and then and looked into his eyes. If he could see Rasler maybe he could see this.

"Vaan" She said anxiously "Did you see it?"

"See what?" He replied.

"The... the face it was right there." She pointed towards the tree. "And the tree it was just on fire!"

But neither Vaan nor Basch or Balthier could see what she was talking about.

"Ashe I think the heat may have gotten to you." Said Basch.

"No it was really there I saw it!"

"Saw what?" Said Balthier affirmatively.

"There was a face, with red and white paint and that tree was burning and there were voices in my head yelling and screaming."

Basch, Vaan and Balthier looked to each other but Ashe just stared at the tree.

"We should be off if we are to reach the village." Basch said examining the stretch of land that they still had to cross.

Ashe turned and looked at him."Alright, lets go."

And again they started off. Maybe it had been the heat, maybe she had just hallucinated. But as she walked voice carried on the wind whispered her name as it passed, but she simply dismissed it as a trick of her mind.

The company had been walking for several hours more and and time had crept slowly into the afternoon. Nevertheless, a tall thin trail of black smoke rose up into the sky and they knew that they had reached the village of El Gobale.

Ashe was the first one to walk through the bottle shaped entrance way of the village made by a fence the lined the top pf a narrow ditch that forced the four into a single filed line.

As they reached the round clay hoses they spread out again. The houses had been positioned so that they formed a circle that spread out wider the farther back it went. However, since it was a small town they didn't spread out very far. Vaan also noticed the considerable lack of repair most of them were in and as they moved farther into the village he caught his first glimpse of the people who lived there. They were just as Balthier had described and more. They were thin from a a lack f proper nourishment and wore raggedy clothes and all of them stared, dozens of them just stared as the newcomers walked through their village. As they entered the center of the village a large fire came into view, that had a circle of rocks surrounding its base to help keep it from spreading. As the four walked around the fire a tall throne appeared, similar to the one Ashe had in her throne room but this one was dirty and in disrepair. And in it to Ashe's horror sat the man that the face belonged to. All over himself he had large necklaces made of blue and red beads and in his hand he held a wooden staff with a black rock tied to the top. Ashe stopped and stepped back a little bumping into Basch.

"What is it, whats wrong?" He said.

"Thats who Is aw back on the plateau it him."

Basch looked at the man in the throne and although he admitted that yes he did appear quite threatening he still encouraged Ashe to keep moving "Welcome!" The man in the throne said joyously standing up and throwing his hand in the air. "I am Yamaro Okjensaya leader of the village of El Gobale."

Ashe swallowed hesitantly and then moved forward.

"I am... Amalia of Nalbina and these are my guardians. We come here in search of a friend who supposedly came here. Penelo is her name."

"Ah yes Penelo! She has been quite a benefit to our village. Penelo come and meet our quests!"

Slowly and with the same stare as the people Penelo walked out from behind Yamaro's throne.

"Penelo!" Vaan exclaimed happily. But she simply looked at him.

"She is tired." Yamaro said "She has spent much of the day helping to repair houses in the village."

But Vaan nor any of the others saw any sign of repairs.

"Well we need her to come with us." Vaan interrupted.

"This I can grant you but first I see that the sun is in full retreat and I can only imagine what monsters will be lurking across the sandsea, so please stay with us for the night and rest."  
Ashe Basch looked back to the sun and sure enough it was slowly sinking into the horizon. A little too early.

That night once the sun had completely sunk behind the dunes Vaan lay on a straw mattress in one of the houses near the middle of the village. Blankly he stared up at the dark sky through a hole in the roof of the hut.

"Do you think it was a good idea to split up?" Vaan asked Balthier who slept near the door with his altair across his lap.

"Ashe can handle herself and I don't think we'll run into any trouble."

Yamaro had "suggested" that Ashe sleep in a separate house for reasons unknown.

"So why are you sleeping by the door with with your gun?"

"You never know."  
Suddenly Basch came through the rickety wooden door making Balthier jump a little.

"Villagers are all around the perimeter of the town" He said closing the door behind him. "I don't believe any of them saw though."

Balthier looked through a hole in the door and saw one of the villagers, a man rushing past the house towards where Ashe was. "I wonder why that is?"

Ashe sat upright at the edge of her bed holding her sword by the hilt. Unlike the others she was in one of the only houses that was still in good repair and her bed was stuffed with feathers rather than dry straw. It wasn't like her bed back in the palace but it was better than nothing. However no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't fall asleep. Truth be told she was scared. Her hallucination back on the plateau had thrown a wrench into her usually calm demeanor and everything about this village made her weary. Something moved outside her hut and she snapped her head up and stared at the door waiting for something to come, but nothing came.

"Are you queen Ashe?" said a voice from behind her.

Ashe jolted upright and spun around with her sword in hand and faced where the voice had come from. One of the villagers a young man came out of hole where a removable brick had been that Ashe hadn't noticed.

"Are you queen Ashe!?" He said again very anxiously.

"Yes. Who are you?"

"That doesn't matter." He said as he fully emerged from the hole. "You have to get out of here."

Ashe stuttered utterly surprised that he wasn't like the others.

"What happened here?"

"Twelve years ago Yamaro came to out village and possessed our people with some sort of voodoo magic. I don't know why and I don't know how. All I know is that I have tog et you out of here. I found a cure for you friend the magic isn't so strong with her so it should work."

He handed her some green coloured herbs tied together by a strand of brown string.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Can't have the queen of Dalmasca under the control of a maniac." He replied frankly. "Follow me."

The two of them slipped out through the hole in the back of the hut and the slid the removed portion back into the structure so only a faint outline could be seen.

Ashe and the villager started moving quickly as they could from house to house avoiding any of the mindless villagers they came across until they reached the hut in which Vaan, Basch and Balthier were in. Ashe and the villager burst through the door causing all three of them to jump.  
"What are you doing here?"

Ashe explained to them the situation and without hesitation they all exited into the night.

"We need to find Penelo." Vaan said quietly to the villager.

"Follow me. But move discreetly. The last thing we want is for the Yamaro to to be on us."

The sun was now just nearing the edge of the earth and a dim blue glow was spreading. From house to house the party moved until as they reached the edge of the town.

All five of them hid behind one house that was across from Penelo's but to the right were several villagers who were standing on the edge of the town.

"We need a distraction." The man said "I'll go around and distract them."When I give the signal you go and get your friend."

Ashe nodded and the man left.

"How are we going to restore her to normal?" Vaan said worriedly.

"The villager gave me some herbs that should work. According to him."

The group waited for almost another eight minutes before the man appeared again. Strangely enough he walked from outside the village perimeter with his hand behind his back. Both the villages watched him walk up to them, neither saw it coming though. As he come within a meter of him he pulled a long silver dagger out from behind his back. He held it so that the blade faced down and he immediately tackled the villager to the ground stabbing him repeatedly in the heart, sending it into fits of pain, screaming at the top of its lungs. The second advanced on him with its arms outstretched ready to strangle him but the man slashed it legs and the possessed villager fell to the ground. As the first one slowly led to death no longer screaming, the man jumped onto the other and like the first one he began stabbing it savagely in the heart.

"So much for stealth."

Without waiting for the man to give them any kind of signal all four of them moved out.

"Balthier" Ashe said "You and Basch go and secure the that section of the perimeter and make sure we have and escape route."

With no quarrel both of them ran over to where the man was to keep the location secured so that they had a sure path to escape. Ashe and Bach ran into the hut Penelo was supposedly in all the while Vaan prayed in his head that Penelo would be there safe and sound.

He burst through the door to find Penelo lying on the bed staring vacantly at the ceiling.

"Penelo!" Vaan yelled. She turned her head and looked at them.

"Quick give her the herbs."

Vann held her still and opened her mouth while Ashe carefully fed her the herbs.

"There not working!"

"Quick lets get her out of here."

With no resistance Vaan hefted Penelo over his shoulder and he carried her out of the hut.

As the exited Ash looked left only to see a group of villagers advancing towards them. None of them looked like they wanted to talk and Ashe could see that several of them were carrying knives. As Vaan ran behind her and headed to Balthier and Basch Ashe outstretched her arm and began to conjure lightning in her hand.

"Come on come on..." she said to herself.

Gradually the magic became stranger and tiny lightning bolts were starting to spasmodically spark in her hand. Then unexpectedly a jolt of lightning shot from her hand and exploded in the side of a hut. The force of the explosion send the crowd crashing to the ground as debris from the house smothered them in a cloud of dust. Then she turned and ran.

Vaan was nearing the Basch and Balthier moving slowly.

"Why did you just kill them!?" Basch said angerly. "Why did you just kill your own people?"  
"they used to be my people but since Yamaro came I don't even know them anymore. Better they or I die than be under the control of that bastard."

"Come on lets go!" Vaan yelled as he passed them and was soon followed by Ashe. Basch looked to the villager and then to a hoard of villagers who were slowly advancing from the village.

"You go I'll hold them back." He said.

Basch nodded and he ran to catch up with the others. The free villager for a moment looked at the possessed, zombie-like villagers who used to be just like him. His friends and family were in this hoard and what he was going to do next filled him with pain and regret but now his life didn't matter and he would rather see them all dead at his hands rather than have Yamaro lead them all to slavery and slaughter. He then took a deep breath in, then out then with a thundering passion he charged at the hoard yelling as he went. He reached the crowd and with his knife he began hacking away with no sympathy or love for those once felt for.

Basch, Ashe, Balthier and Vaan ran as fast as they could across the sand daylight slowly creeping into the sky. They had made it. For now.

Back in the village the man fell to his knees at the feet of Yamaro possessed villagers standing and watching all around him. He had cuts all over him and his raggedy shirt was covered in blood stains.

"So my magic hasn't has any effect on you."

The man looked at him with anger filled eyes.

"And you aided our guests in their escape. What do you have to say for yourself."

The man didn't say anything he knew he was going to die so he spit in Yamaro's face.

"So thats how its going to be."

Yamaro turned and took a couple of steps away from the man and closed his eyes. Then as if moving at almost the speed of sound he spun around jabbed the man in the stomach with his staff. The man shook and screamed violently as waves of upon waves of pain surged through his body as his insides churned inside him, Yamaro still pressing the dark stone on his staff hard into the mans stomach. Finally after what seemed like an eternity the man finally died and collapsed to the ground.

Yamaro stood up straight holding his staff at his side and said "I'm coming for you Ashe. You will be mine and I _will _make you my wife so that I... will rule Dalmasca.

"Its not working!" Vaan said hurriedly as he stood over Penelo who he had lay down on the sand underneath a large piece of rock that jetted out from one of the larger sand dunes.

"Give it some time." Balthier said calmly.

"We don't have time we..."

Suddenly Penelo began to stir and Vaan immediately moved to her side.

"Penelo are you alright?"

Penelo groaned as she tried to sit up straight.

"What happened?" She said rubbing her forehead.

"Yamaro had you under some sort of spell but your safe now." Vaan replied relieved that the herbs had worked.

"What? All I remember is going to the village, talking to him and then waking up here."  
"We should go." Basch said as he came back from reconnoitering the area by night monsters will be swarming the area and we don't know if Yamaro still has plans for us."

"Are you okay to walk?" Ashe asked Penelo concernedly.

"Yeah I can walk."

Swiftly the group left the shelter of the over hanging rock and continued their journey through the dessert.


	5. Chapter V

_Chapter V_

Seeqs, Humes Bangaas and even a few Viera hustled and bustled through the crowded city squares of the Nalbina fortress. Clouds of steam rose into the sky from the food vender's which offered vast varieties of foreign foods, the smell of which left even those who had just eaten a feast drooling for more. But amongst the regulars that had lived in the city for decades, Hesla soldiers now mixed in with them. However, the old Archadian guards who once roamed the city streets after the first war were becoming much more well thought of as opposed to the Hesla invaders. Although the Archadian guards hadn't been the most friendly conquerers they had at least treated the civilians with some decency. The only time violence ever ensued between them and the guards was when the resistance got involved or when something just got blown out of proportion. And the main reason any of this happened was not because the Archadian soldiers were so terrible to everyone but because the sting of defeat simply didn't go away very quickly. However, with the Hesla soldiers they stole large amounts of goods from salesmen and if they protested against it they were often beaten into submission. Many women were afraid to wonder the streets alone for fear of becoming a play thing of one of the soldiers although having an escort didn't provide much more protection since the soldiers always traveled in groups and her armed with most cutting edge weapons. Scars from the war such as bombed homes and were had gone unattended and it was hard for any to get in or out. But Ashe had found a way to get in.

In the back of a wagon carrying heaps upon heaps of hay for the Hesla chocabos which had been pulled in a old wooden wagon by a man called Skeat who came the Nalbina fortress they had hitched a ride and snuck into the fortress. However, they had almost been found and killed when one of the guards decided for no particular reason to stop Skeat and with his sword stab at the pile of hay several times for anyone or anything that shouldn't have been there. Several times Ashe and the others had narrowly escaped the sharp blades mercilessness before the guard had let the wagon pass. Now all their weapons were in the hands of the man known as skeat who had been paid a fine sum of gill for his troubles.

"What if I am caught?" He had asked.

"If so just claim you found them or that there not yours." Basch had replied.

"How do you know I won't steal them?" He asked with a cleaver grin.

"Because" Basch began leaning very closely to the weasel faced man "If you do we will hunt you down and spill you guts all over the ground."

Now they were all walking through the crowded streets of the Nalbina fortress. Ashe wearing a grey cloak which covered her entire body with a large hood that added to her lack of visibility so that no now would recognize the queen of Dalmasca.

"So tell me again." Basch said discreetly to the Ashe as they moved through the market place "Why are we here again?"

"Because there is an old friend who agreed to meet us here and tell us about the esper."

Basch still didn't think that this was a good idea but Ashe was queen and he would follow her to hell and back.

The group walked past a patrol of Hesla guards and Ashe pulled the cloak over her tightly. Vaan, who was behind the others walked past them last. Her looked up at one of them. The gold face plat covering his face except for the horizontal slit that he used to see. As Vaan walked past and looked into the slit the guard looked back.

"What the hell are you looking at ya' little pisher!" The guard said angerly as he shoved Vaan hard into a merchants stand knocking the whole thing over, spilling food all over the dirty ground.

The guards laughed at Vaan who sat on the ground helplessly for he could not afford to start any violent actions with the guards. So Basch did it for him. Basch had never been one to take any crap from from bullies. Not when the Archadians had taken over and certainly not from Heslens.

All in one fluid movement Basch picked up a coloured stone from a vender who sold trivial items suck as strangely coloured stones and smashed it into the side of the first guards head. The stone shattered into pieces as the guard fell over and the second drew his sword in anger and an intent to kill.

Basch had only seconds before the Heslen soldier's sword would come down on him and quickly he grabbed the sword off the first fallen guard and and as the Heslen's sword came to he spun around, lifted up his own sword and blocked the blow. Before the guard could then make his next move Basch deflected his opponents sword out of the way and slashed his own across the soldiers stomach sending him to the ground clutching his wound in pain. The crowd of people had now formed a circle around the skirmish and were watching with their mouths hanging open as the Heslen soldier died on the street. Basch dropped the sword to the ground instantly regretting what he had just done. Now the lives of his company were at even more risk since he had just blown their cover and there was now way of reversal.

Basch snapped his head around as the first guard who lay next to him began to stir and groan. Instinctively Basch grabbed him bay the face plate and smacked the back of his head into the ground knocking the sense out of him again.

"Basch come on we have to get out of here!" Vaan yelled as he began to lead the party through the crowd. Basch stood up and headed for the others.

"Hey you! Get back here!"

Ashe looked back at four guards who were pushing and shoving their way through the other side of the crowd at an alarming speed. The first one of them had his helmet off and as Ashe looked back she also noticed that his eyes were directed solely towards her. And in that instant he realized who he was looking at. Ashe turned and burst through the crowd many of them purposefully making room for her and the others while doing what they could to bog down the enemy chase.

Vann, who was in the lead desperately searched for a place to hid an alley a backyard anything. Luckily, he was able to find a long alley from which steam gushed out of vents in the ground.

"This way!" He yelled to the others. And they all turned down the thin alleyway and ran behind another wall. Vaan peered slightly around the corner. He watched as a patrol of guards ran past the entrance of the alleyway and farther down the street.

Ashe sat tiredly against the alley wall catching her breath not because she was physically tired but because of the scare she had had when the Heslen soldier saw her face"Your majesty I am dearly sorry." Basch said with great regret I don't know what came over me."

Ashe looked up at him. "I do not blame you." she looked back down at the ground. "For it is my fault as well."

Basch looked at her surprised that she would say such a thing.

"As we ran, one of the guards saw my face. And although it is possible that he did not recognize me, I fear that he did and that our mission could be in great danger.

"We're not far from where we have to go." Lets get moving.

After another two hours of navigating their way through filthy alleyways and avoiding patrols of soldiers they finally made it to a small apartment above a shop in the middle of the Nalbina Fortress.

The sun was starting to set casting an orange glow across the city and now the Curfew had been put into effect had taken another up its position for another night and if one was caught outside then the chances were that they would never be seen again.

Basch stood by the front window of the apartment looking out at the still and quiet city. Bathier stood cautiously by the door to the apartment his altar slung over his shoulder. The whole apartment reeked of a distasteful oder that Balthier guessed came from some food the apartments owner had made previous to their arrival. On the walls were paintings of people, many being horribly mutilated by cruel men with swords and some were of people traveling across wide open plains or dark forests with bare trees and thick mists. Penelo stared intently at one of a group six walking down a long endless road squeezed in between two large green plains on either side and the horizon was a large, dark, cloaked figure with two piercing golden eyes that stared down on the painted party mercilessly.

"Sho..." Said a man by the name of Howleskit, the owner of the apartment. "You vant to know about zee forbidden Esper, eh?" He said with a heavy and ancient Nalbinan accent that sounded long and stretched out. He was a skinny old man with a short, white, dry beard that he had a unconscious tendency to stroke with his left hand.

"Can you tell us anything?" Ashe asked pleadingly sitting in a old wicker chair next to Howleskit.

"I could I suppose but..." He raised an eyebrow and looked Ashe up and down with a sly grin on his face "I would know more if you maybe did one or two 'favors' for me."

Ashe knew what her meant and was disgusted. "How about you tell em what I want to know and we leave you in as few pieces as we see fit, pending on how much information you give us."

Howleskit wasn't very scared of the threat but he decided that it was better not risk anything.

"Zeee Esper can only be found if one knows how to she it." He began looking from Ashe to Vaan who was also listening intently. "If zee seeker knows how to look then they vill find it but it vill not come easy. You must do battle with it to show that you are worthy and then that is only the beginning it will take time to master, days, weeks, months maybe even years. There are few who can control it" He snapped his fingers "like zat."

Ashe looked at him disappointed if that was all he knew then this had been a serious waste of time.

"Also." continued sparking Ashe's intrigue once more "You need to find three special stones to unlock it. You already have the first one. The second is located within the fog of the Feywood and zee tird is lost in history, as far as I know."  
Ashe's heart sank and she was growing frustrated "What do you meen its lost in history?"

"Vell... currently I no not of vher it is, however I have many books." He waved his hand behind him to indicate the wide array of books that lay behind a curtain made of beads.

Basch continued to stare out of the window closely watching a cripple man stagger down the street. The sun had now filly set and the moon had risen. He couldn't see the man's face only a black figure.

And around the corner came two Heslen guards talking to each other. Moments after rounding the corner they both noticed the man and both laughed and headed over to him ready for some sick fun.

"Hey you! What do you think your doing out here so late at night?"

The cripple didn't answer.

"What are you daft you disgusting piece of filth." Both guards had reached the cripple and had surrounded him.

"Come on speak!" One of the guards pushed the man back with the shaft of his spear.

Suddenly like a brand new sun a fiery explosion erupted from the center of the city emanating a loud sonic boom. Both the two guards spun there heads around and looked up at the flames that roared high above the rooftops of the city buildings. But as they took their attention away from the cripple the man suddenly lunged at one of the guards and sank his teeth into his neck the other guard yelled and stabbed at the enemy. But more crippled looking men came and swarmed all over him tearing him apart with their teeth. And that was when Basch realized that these weren't men they were monsters. Corpses of those long dead re animated and filled with thirst for blood tat could never be quenched.

"We have to get out of here!" Basch yelled.

"What is it?"

"Zombies."

As the group ran out and down the stairs that led to the street Vaan stopped in tht doorway. "Aren't you coming?" He asked Howleskit.

"I may be old but I can defend myself." He replied and Vaan with little time to spare ran down the stairway closing the old wooden door behind him.

Basch exited onto the street and looked around. Fires raged all over the city, screams and shouts echoed continuously and zombies ran through the streets attacking and nawing at the Heslen soldiers and civilians who tried to escape the slaughter.

Suddenly one of the half decayed fiends lunged at Basch but he swung his axe with both hands and slammed it into the wall, leaving it one piece only by a few tendons. As the once again dead corpse fell to the ground the others joined him on the street and immediately they entered the fray. Ashe slashed the head off one of the monsters while Basch shot one in the leg, so that it fell to one knee the whipped out a jagged hunting knife and wedged it in the zombies forehead.

"We have to get out of here!" Ashe yelled over the sounds of battle.

Vaan looked around frantically at the havoc that was raging before his eyes.

"We're not too far from the gate!" Basch yelled as he took down another with his double headed axe. "But we'll have to fight our way through these fiends first!"

"Wel then lets get moving!" Balthier pitched in and the company began fighting their way towards the eastern gate hacking and slashing as they went, hardly ever bothering to take down any of the Heslen soldiers since they were probably the only ones who could protect the citizens besides themselves.

Vaan stabbed his sword down into the stomach of one of the zombies and it shrieked in pain he wrenched the sword back out to strike down another. From where her was he could see Balthier wielding both his altair and his combat knife in tune with each other. He had almost exhausted his ammunitions and was now his his gun as a club. Suddenly one zombie jumped on him from behind and wrapped its arms around his neck. Vaan watched as dozens of zombies began to close in around him and pull him down to the ground.

"Balthier!" Vaan yelled in anger as he began slashing his way towards his comrade.

"Go!" Balthier yelled back in gargled words that Vaan could not understand.

Basch was also witnessing this and saw that through the hordes of zombies there wasn't anything any of them could do. He started to pull Vaan back as he struggled but he could free himself from Basch's grasp.

"Ashe we must make haste!"

Ashe chopped the head off another enemy and with Penelo at her side they started to run through the battle towards the eastern gate. Balthier slowly disappearing in the pile of monsters.

Through blurry eyes Vaan ran for the gate behind Ashe every now and then striking down a monster who got in their way. Finally after what seemed like dozens of arduous, agonizing hours they finally made it to the gate which had been opened to allow in Heslen reinforcements but a swarm of zombies had attacked and now it was a desperate struggle to regain control of the gate.

Ashe sliced down an enemy with a quick vertical swing of her sword, and swung back against to take down a second. Across the battle a Heslen archer fired an arrow at a fiend made a direct hit to its right eye. He looked across from his target and there fighting through the midst of the chaos was the queen of Dalmasca, Ashe.

Quickly he pulled another silver tipped arrow from his quiver and locked it into the bow string. He brought up his long bow bow and pulled the cord back to he ear. He aimed the tip of the arrow head at the Queen. Basch saw him from a distance and knew that he was aiming at Ashe and with all his strength he through his axe at the archer. The weapon spun vertically through the air past dozens of fighters, swquarly embedded itself in the chest of the archer just as he loosed his arrow. Ashe spun around as she finished another foe and was struck in the side by the thin deadly arrow. She yelled in pain as she fell to the ground clutching the arrow in her side. Basch roared in anger as he picked up a falchion off a dead body and began hacking his way towards Ashe. Vaan had seen her fall too and along with Penelo they too began to fight their way towards the gate.

Basch reached Ashe and without a puase he wrenched the arrow out of her side causing her yell again but it was drowned out by another explosion that ripped through the roof of a home that was built into the side of the gate sending chunks of smoldering debris down onto the battlefield. With a piece of cloth his from the cape of a dead Heslen sergeant he quickly wrapped it around Ashe's wound, lifter her up into his arms and carried her out of the gate after Vaan and Penelo. All four of them jumped and hid behind a sand dune as Heslen soldiers pushed into the gate. It was darka dn if they remained quiet they could easily go without being seen until the sun rose.

Ashe moaned and groaned in pain as she clutched her wound, blood despite the crude bandage was starting to pool in her hands.

"Hold still." Basch said as he began to re-wrap the bandage. Ashe took in a deep breath and sucked in the pain as Basch tied the bandage tightly. Explosions now echoed deeply as bombs from the Heslen airships flattened the city.

Basch finished wrapping the bandage. " Now we must leave." But Ashe wasn't breathing.

If heaven is real, then Ashe was in it. She stood on the Phon Coast in a black skirt that reached down to her knees that had an elegant, gold and long dragon that went around the black skirt once and came back to where it had started. And on top she wore a dark brown corset with silver buttons up the front.

Simply she starred out across the blue ocean, white capped waves dotting the water before they crashed onto the shore. The wind blue her hair and skirt back and she was only seven-teen.

Her mother had just died only a few months before and there was still a gap, an empty space left inside her.

"It was three months ago." Rasler said as he walked up next to her. "You have to let go sometime."

Although his words stung a little Ashe knew that he didn't mean to be harsh, and she knew that he was right but she couldn't. She had already lost a father and that was hard enough but now her mother had died, too depressed to go on.

"I know your right but I can help but feel like a part of me refuses to let go.

Rasler put his arm around her and held her close. "I'll always be with you. No matter what." He kissed her head and both continued to stare out at the beautiful ocean that lay before them.

Yamaro strode through the chaos that ran through the street of the Nalbina Fortress. With his staff in his right hand he watched the slaughter of civilians and Heslen soldiers, and all he did was smile. At this moment he didn't care about finding the queen he just wanted to watch the horror that he had created.

P.S: sorry it took so long to update but I've been realt busy with school, job and other stuff. Hope you enjoy.


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